


Warm Goodbyes

by Enomisje



Category: Tin Can Brothers RPF
Genre: Brotp, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, RPF, Rosenrichter, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21986179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enomisje/pseuds/Enomisje
Summary: When you are forced to leave your best friend, not knowing if you’ll ever see him back... this is the sort of goodbye that might happen
Relationships: Joey Richter/Brian Rosenthal
Kudos: 2





	Warm Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> I like putting my favorite people in painful situations and see how they react to it. This is what I imagine would happen if Brian and Joey ever had to say goodbye forever. Written in second person as a writing experiment. 
> 
> Disclaimer: this fiction is in no way related to the real people it is about. Brian and Joey had nothing to do with it and I’d like to keep it that way. 
> 
> Enjoy!

It was not fair. Absolutely not fair. This should not be happening. Not now, not ever.

You shouldn’t have to say goodbye. Not like this. You don’t even know if you’ll ever see him again after this day.

Just a bag full of clothes and a toothbrush. That’s all you can take with you. The rest of your belongings stay behind in your house. The house you shared with him for more than five years.

You are both standing in the living room, just looking at each other, at a loss for what to say. What do you say after years of solid friendship, sharing your lives, sharing your food, sharing the same passion and talent for film and theater? Just goodbye?

There is so much to say that you never said. There is so much that will never be said. But what to say right now?

“So this is it then.” Your voice sounds weird, constricted. “It is time for me to go.” He nods and his eyes fill up with water. You feel yours want to do the same, but you hold it back. One of you has to be the strong one.

You knew this day would come for a less than a week. That is when the letter came and you realized it was either run or die. You had such a short time to prepare. Mostly, you have been ignoring the looming presence and just made a lot of fun together, without really talking about it. And now the day is here. You have to go, not knowing if you will survive, not knowing if you will ever see him again.

The not knowing is the worst.

“I will miss you, Brian”, he says, voice filled with emotion. “So much.” You nod. “I will miss you too.” That’s it. That is the moment a tear escapes his eyes and you lose the battle raging inside of you. “Joey, please don’t…”, you manage to say before you run to him and hug him so tight you are pretty sure it must hurt. But then his arms wrap around you and he hugs you even tighter.

You are reminded again of how thin he is, how nice his hair smells and how much you came to love him. How much you will miss him. His voice, his humor, even the way he looks at you when you come home after you have not seen each other for more than a day. Now he is crying on your shoulder and it breaks you more than you had ever imagined. The worst thing is, there is nothing that you can really do. Nothing but rub his back, stroke his hair and whisper in his ear “Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s okay. Shhh now.” Which doesn’t really work.

Eventually he pulls back and looks you in the eyes intensely, like he is trying to commit their color and shape to memory. Tear tracks cover his cheeks but he does not wipe them away. “Take care of yourself, Bri.” His voice comes hardly above a whisper. A fond but sad smile covers his features while his hand comes up to stroke some hair out of your face. “And don’t let them get to you. I wish to see you again after all this is over.”

His fingers trail down your neck after he tucked the stray hairs behind your ear and a shiver goes through your body. Then there is a moment where you just stare each other in the eyes and you are so close and you are considering closing the gap between you… but then the moment is over and you find your voice, saying “I wish that too.”

You let your hand, that is still on his waist from the hug, travel to his hand and take it. Squeezing it softly, you say “I have to go now.” He nods and weaves his fingers through yours. “I’ll walk you to your car.” You take your bag with your free hand and together you walk out the front door, down the few steps and towards your car.

There is silence between you, but good silence. Amicably. The silence tells everything about how tight your relationship has become over the past years. Nothing really needs to be said. It’s all there, in that amical silence in the minute you walk to the car. That is when your eyes well up with tears and you’re glad he steers you the right way because your vision is a blur. One or two tears escape and make their way down. You let them.

At the car you drop your bag and fumble for your key in your pocket. You are aware of Joey’s eyes following your every movement when you find it, unlock the car, open the back door and throw your bag in there, then close the door. You turn to him. This is it.

He squeezes your hand, cups your cheek and plants a tender but firm kiss on the other one. His lips hover near your ear as he whispers “Be safe.” For a moment, he rests his forehead against your temple and you close your eyes to savor the moment. “I will”, you whisper back. Another tear escapes. Joey wipes it away with his thumb, then lets you go. He smiles at you, encouraging. “Go now.” His voice is not sad any more. If anything, it is full of warmth and love, just like his eyes.

You nod and step into your car, rolling down your window. You smile at him. “Joey, if anything happens… it was my privilege to live with you and do so much fun stuff together.” He nods. “Same for me, bro.” You see how the corners of his mouth drop down before he shakes himself and plasters a fond smile back on his face.

You are forcefully reminded that you are not the only one with a painful throat from holding back tears. Your smile wavers when you start the engine. You put your car in drive. Then you look at Joey. One last shared moment. One last smile. Then you drive away. In your rear-view mirror you can see the tall, dark-haired boy stand on the pavement, watching you drive away, out of his life.

Too soon, you can’t see him anymore. You make a turn. And another turn. And then you feel your throat crack up and your vision blur and it is all you can do to safely park the car somewhere before you let your emotions run free, and with them your tears. Tears of pain, tears of sorrow and the sense of loss, tears of anger at the unfairness of it all. Eventually you wipe them away, compose yourself and with a sigh of acceptance, you drive away towards the unknown. 

**Author's Note:**

> Not even I know exactly why Brian has to go, the letter is just a plot device to craft this situation. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you think about it!


End file.
